Iran returned to the global stage after not participating in the 1982 or 1986 World Cup qualifiers due to the Iran-Iraq war (1980–1988). Team Melli would however hope to resume where they left off, having appeared in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, which resulted in two losses and a credible draw against Scotland. Parviz Dehdari had been appointed new national coach in 1986, and immediately brought some success with a 3rd place in the 1988 edition of the AFC Asian Cup.

With only one team progressing from group 5 to the Final Round, Iran were however facing tough competition from China – incidentally the team they had beaten in the 3rd place play-off of the 1988 AFC Asian Cup. China had yet to qualify for any World Cup finals, and most recently experienced a major setup when they failed to progress to the final round of the 1986 qualifiers after a loss to Hong Kong. Much more was expected this time around, and results under manager Gao Fengwen (1986– ) in the 1988 AFC Asian Cup suggested that China were a serious contender for one of two AFC berths in Italia’90. 

Very little to suggest, however, that the two other teams in group 5 could pose any threat to these two powerhouses. Both Bangladesh and Thailand were perennially struggling to assert themselves in both World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.